The New Age
by salemwarrick
Summary: Reposting under new name.
1. (1) Last First Day

I was staring. I knew I was staring, but I couldn't help it. It had been so clean, and neat, and perfect, and then Gov had gone and fucking scratched the shit out of it. It being my copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

I was really fucking done with that little shit. Somehow he got into every god damn thing and fucking ruined it. But all I could do was sigh and pet him because it was too late to train him not to do that shit anymore. At least, it was too late for me to be motivated to try.

He'd scratched the god damn label too. What the fuck is wrong with him? Shouldn't he know by now that that was my favourite book?

No, he's a fucking cat, Jim. Get it together.

No, Jim is not a lad's name. Name's don't have genders, therefore are not required to comply to one. And for the record, it's short for Jimena. I don't know what it means and I have no fucking idea what possessed my mother to name me that, but that's my name. Jimena Call.

My friend Liam nearly lost his shit at the Sorting Ceremony when they called my name. I don't know why, he'd known it was my name for eight fucking years. Maybe it was because of the look on Potter's face, or maybe it was the way every single Hufflepuff sat up straighter as if the first year with the soddiest name was one of them. Probably fucking right.

Any road, what the hell was I on about? Oh, right, my book. My favourite fucking book. The number one. Number. One.

To prevent myself from killing my cat, I decided to start packing. It was pretty late to be packing for my last year of Hogwarts ever, but I didn't mind so much. I'd never once slept the night before the first day, and I wasn't going to make an exception on the night before my last first day.

Now, when I say packing, the more appropriate term is dumping my entire room into my trunk and hoping no one offers to carry it aside from Liam. Not that anyone ever does. Liam is my only friend, and probably the only person aside from the staff that cares to refer to me by my first name. He's also literally my polar opposite.

I'm a rather short bird, about a hundred and thirty four centimeters, and I barely weigh seven stone. I've always kept my hair in what Muggle's call a pixie cut (Liam had a long ass laugh when I told him) since Mum let me to get the first one the summer before first year, so I'm not really sure if it's grown to be wavy or stayed straight. It's a rather dark shade that most people would just call black. I'd prefer to not have that colour associated with my natural tones. I got my dad's hazel, almond-shape eyes, but my mum's regal, upturned nose. Most of my features are small but proportional, with the exception of my decently endowed chest. On top of all this Snow White crap I've somehow inherited, I'm quite pale, and despite my lack of any but pure British heritage, I have a smattering of light freckles across my nose and cheeks. I tend not to talk to anyone but Liam, but I've been told by the mentioned asshole that I've always got something negative to say about everyone. I like books, and I like being in quiet places like the library. I'm not the top of our class, but I like to think I'm fairly intelligent. I mean, I at least know I'm smarter than Rosier or Avery. Fucking morons.

I've never participated in anything aside from the feasts at school, aside from watching the Quidditch matches that Gryffindor plays in (only because Liam is Manwhore Black's partner as Beater, of course).

Liam, on the other spectrum, is a hundred and sixty five centimeters, the tallest bloke in our year, making him the tallest bloke in the school. I don't even want to know how many stones he has on me. Somehow he manages to keep his wavy, honey-coloured hair at his shoulders, though I've never once known of him getting it cut. His eyes are an almost painfully bright blue, and his features are sharp and chiseled. He's not an especially tan fellow, but he's not transparent, like me. (I'm not actually transparent, I'm just not funny. Naturally, Liam is.) As I am tiny, Liam is large, but not in a fatty way. He's not some giant ass American wrestler, but he's got some nice muscle on him. Not that I'd ever see Liam as anything but... Liam. He's just kind of... my only regular, positive social connection to the world, making him, of course, my world. I love him dearly, but I don't think I'd ever want to be romantic or, God forbid, intimate with him.

I'm about ninety percent sure he's been in love with me since puberty (and possibly before then), but I also think he knows that I don't care for him like that. About the closest thing we have to being a couple is a running joke that no matter who he's dating, he'll always love me most. (Which, if my theory is correct, is not actually a joke, cancelling out its significance.)

Which brings us to another god damn thing we differ on: romance. Liam is, beneath Sirius Black, the most sought after bloke at school. As I already implied, nobody knows who I am.

Now, don't get me wrong: I don't need or want lads drooling after me, nor am I inexperienced in the field of relationships. The real difference between me and Liam in this category is that I've never dated someone with magic.

Nor do I think I want to.

The wizarding world is fucking up. Their class system is based on their fucking blood. Well, more accurately, DNA, but I need a super gross reason to give my mother for not introducing her to the hordes of magic blokes I'm crushing on (which you probably know don't exist). That aside, wizard society is founded on the amount of wizardness in your veins. There are Purebloods (like Liam and his family, the Oliviers), which are marked by not having a single drop of mundane filth in their system (which is not even true, because otherwise the entire "Pure" class would have the name black, though it almost literally does anyway). Then there are Halfbloods, who have one magic parent and one Muggle parent. That magic parent could also be a Halfblood, or they could be a birth Pureblood that was probably shunned from their family. Next is Muggleborns, or Mudbloods as we are so lovingly referred to as by the Slytherins (yep, you guessed it, Jimmy Call has Muggle folks). As you can probably guess, Muggleborns are witches or wizards that just sort of popped up in a Muggle family.

At the bottom of this heap are Squibs. Squibs are usually one of two things: a Muggle closely related enough to a witch or wizard that they know about their magical crap, or a witch or wizard with Muggle parents that has some magic somewhere up the line. However, there's one more type of Squib: a Muggle in a mostly magic family. Very rare, and sometimes dangerous. I don't know all that much about it, but I do know that there's probably a reason for that.

Somehow I managed to finish packing without actually thinking, so I just plopped back down on my bed, nearly landing on top of the traitorous cat mentioned earlier. He hissed at me loudly, then ran for the door, not even looking to see if it was open.

It wasn't.

I sighed at his stupidity, but still got up and collected his heap of whimpering fur in my arms, forgiving his betrayal. Mostly. "You're okay you big numskull." I gently kissed his ear and he started purring. Like I said: fucking numskull. I should have gotten a Flobberworm. Maybe it would've shown some intelligence.

I stood there for about five minutes, holding one of the only two beings I wasn't blood related to that I would probably still talk to after this year. Ouch. If I didn't enjoy it so much, my life would probably suck.

Finally, I decided to look at the clock. Five in the morning. Shit, what? How the hell was it already five? Oh. Right. Packing.

School.

Seventh year.

Fuck.

I slowly inched my way into the corner, hoping he wasn't here yet.

He was.

"JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM!"

"MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!"

"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP?!"

Liam and I had shouted at the same time he had burst into my room, waking up my father in the process and earning us the first shut up of the day. Even so, we just grinned at each other like the idiots we were. But I caught the glint of his grin and mine melted into horror. Unfortunately, before I could manifest the word no in my throat, I was being swept up in a hug all too Liam, in which Gov was squished between us and my feet were easily a foot of the ground. I screeched as he spun me around and smacked an extremely wet kiss on my forehead. "Guess what day it is, Jimmy, ol' gal?!" "I already know what day it is, you didn't have to slobber on me, you oaf!"

"Jim?"

Both our heads snapped to Alise, my tiny three year old sister. I adoured her, too much for my own health, and to my surprise and delight, so did Liam. Quickly abandoning one Call in favour of the other, Liam none too gracefully dropped me on my feet and ran to the toddler, sweeping her up in a similar embrace. "Good morning, Ally! Do you know what day it is?" Her missing-toothed smile tugged at my heartstrings as she nodded vigorously, tousling her bed hair. She now looked exactly like a banshee, which reminded me briefly of my damaged book, but the thought swept away as I approached and proceeded to rub my nose against hers. She giggled, and I cooed while she played with Gov's ear. The little shit had the audacity to hiss at her, so I marched him right over to his carrier and locked him in.

That's what happens when you scratch my god damn book.

"Jim, can I come with you this year?" I froze mid-turn at my little treasure's question, and shot a terrified glance at Liam. My terror turned into complete and utter shock when I saw the stern look on his face.

"Ally, you know you can't go to Hogwarts until you get your letter. It wasn't nice of you request something you know your big sister can't give you. What if she felt bad about it all day?" Ally's face took on the look of absolute horror I'd had earlier, and I was about ready to hex the shit out of him until Ally started rambling apologies. I rushed over and took her in my own arms, hushing her and kissing her all over the face. Her apologies turned into giggles and I set her down so she could go get dressed, promising her if she wore something nice I'd show her where Liam and I sat on the train when she escorted me. Liam winked at me, a smug smile on his annoyingly attractive face.

"See, Jim, that's how you- OW!"

"Don't ever make her feel bad again! I'll hex you so far into the N.E.W.T.'s, you'll wish you were three stone first year!"

"SHUT UP!"


	2. (2) Worst Luck in the Universe

An hour later, the Call family and our tall ass guest were bustling through King's Cross. Liam and I were telling Ally a few glamourized stories about Quidditch, omitting anything to do with James Potter and Sirius Black. We let Ally think Liam was the team captain, seeing as we hadn't actually been the ones to say it, so she couldn't later told us we had lied.

Finally, we reached the barrier between Platform's Nine and Ten. My first year, we'd had to have a Ministry worker accompany us so he could remove the Disillusionment Charm on my parent's perception of the entrance to Platform Nine and Three Quarters. I could have gotten through without them, of course, but they wanted to go with me. While I knew I was probably supposed to walk through the barrier, I didn't believe it would work, and without the removal of the charm, my parents actually couldn't physically do it. The Ministry had suggested that I simply be escorted by the representative alone, but my parents weren't having any of that. Eventually, the Ministry agreed to lift the charm. They didn't need to deal with Platform Nine and Three Injuries.

Now, we had all adjusted to walking through the barrier. Ally had been raised so far to expect to be able to walk through the barrier, but Liam wanted to Apparate her across. I, of course, refused adamantly to allow him to Apparate with my little sister, so he demanded that I come with them. Both offenders gave me Bambi eyes, so I was forced to acquiesce.

But that didn't make me any less nervous.

There was a reason that I didn't have my Apparation license - Splinting. The idea scared me shitless. Of course, it hadn't happened in any of our training sessions (as far I as I was aware, seeing as I had opted out of attending them), and Liam assured me it hadn't happened at the Ministry when he'd done his test. However, I remained unconvinced, and was forced to grasp his hand tightly as we stood before my parents. My dad kissed each of his girls on the forehead and clapped Liam on the shoulder since he didn't have any free hands. My mom fluttered kisses on each of our noses, receiving a nasty joke from Liam (to which I dug my nails into his palm). Then it was time.

And I swear to God I was never not ready for anything more in my life than I was not ready to Side-Along Apparate with Liam. If I had had the ability to scream, I probably would have burst every working eardrum in a ten kilo radius.

As it were, when we finally came to stand on solid ground again, I just collapsed in a less than graceful heap on the ground, breathing heavily with tears streaming down my face. Things passed in a blur after that.

Liam set Ally down and pulled me gently but firmly to my feet, then grabbed my face and bent down so that he was making direct eye contact with me. He cooed comforting jokes and words, but I just blubbered about being terrified and wanting my cat. My parents joined us soon and my dad - bless him - was already holding Gov. He had probably seen us from the barrier and knew the one thing I always wanted when I was hurt or scared.

Ever since I was little, I'd always gravitated to dogs and cats (more so the latter) when I wanted comfort and security. My parents were not offended, fortunately, and instead took it upon themselves to supply our little family with a few furry friends. When Ally was born, we had two dogs (Dixie and Dirkus), a ferret named Doc, and a four year old Gov (though Gov has always been and will always be exclusively mine). Sixth year we got our little tot twin Ragdolls named Ruff and Tuff (the little boy at the shelter had named them and two year old Ally had refused to change the names).

I clutched Gov as Liam led me and Ally onto the Hogwarts Express (real creative, lads) and showed the little one our usual compartment. It was number Thirteen B and it was where we had established that no matter what happened as magic folk, we'd still be Muggle best friends. We were very odd when we were eleven.

Before I knew it, Ally had gone after a long goodbye that involved Liam squishing the both of us and Gov licking his ear and silently blaming the toddler. Liam didn't buy it.

We're still very odd.

The train was zooming through countryside when returned to the compartment after a visit to the toilet to fix my make-up and smooth my dress down. Dress? What? A girl named Jim with a nice sailor's tongue likes dresses? I adoure dresses. Get over yourself.

I didn't pay much mind as I walked down the corridor to return to our compartment. I was holding Gov and he was mewing like the annoying little shit he is, but while I was looking out the windows to my right, he started hissing. I stopped walking and looked at him for a minute, narrowing my eyes and following his line of sight.

Fucking great. Just what I needed. Every GOD DAMN YEAR.

"All right, Call?"

I didn't hate Sirius. Actually, no, I did. I don't know where I was going with that. I hated Sirius Orion Black with such a ferocity, I didn't have the capacity to truly hate any other thing in existence. He was just so infuriating. One minute he'd be putting dungbombs in your book bag, the next he'd be trying to get into your knickers. Assuming you were a female in years five through seven. Otherwise all you get are dungbombs and juvenile insults. And that was for his own housemates. I don't even want to describe the kind of shit he did to the Slytherins.

I spent a good minute or two staring at him blankly, my eyes still narrowed. Most other guys probably would have started to squirm, but he just smiled smugly and leaned his arm against his compartment door. He'd probably opened it just to harass me and my cat. Asshole.

"Call, I'm flattered, but I think it's physically impossible to find my eyes that attractive."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but did you just complain about being under the impression that I found your eyes attractive, Black?"

"Yes, actually, it seems it's a first day for many things. And while I'd like to continue this fun banter we've initiated, doll, I recall telling you last year that I preferred my first name to my legal surname. Don't exactly fancy being associated with that lot anymore."

I clenched my jaw, raising my chin slightly. While most others would do this to show they were above their opponent, this only served to have my face tilted more so toward his with his height being considerably higher than mine, though he was still shorter than Liam.

"My fucking apologies, Black, but I don't need your shit today. I have had seven years of your soddery and I have officially reached my limit of tolerance. I don't give a tiny rat's ass if you are flirting with me at this very moment or not, but I know for an absolute fact that you have in the past, and I am not inclined to share a bed with you now or at any point in the near or distant future, as I have observed that there is little else you are interested in when it comes to the opposite sex."

I expected a comeback. I expected him to feign offense and give me ample reason to turn my nose up at him and walk away with dignity just until I reached the next car and then scurry to Compartment Thirteen B and burry my face in Liam's hair and complain about boys until his ears bled.

What I didn't expect was for him to splutter and take a step back, crushing his foot on Peter Pettigrew's leg, who yowled and smacked Remus Lupin's book into his face, which then called my attention to the lack of one James Potter. That is, before I skipped pride and scurried away with tears of laughter in my eyes.

I felt a little bad for Remus and Peter, but not bad enough to keep from telling the whole tale to Liam. But to my millionth surprise that day, Liam didn't laugh. He just started at me, an unreadable but not quite blank expression on his face. So I just... stared back, blinking, waiting for him react. Finally, he did.

"How long has he been flirting with you like that?"

"Are you fucking serio- DON'T YOU DARE ANSWER THAT!"

"Jim, I'm not kidding."

"Neither am I, don't answer that question or I'll sic Gov on you. He's ferocious this time of day."

"Jimena."

"You did not."

"I did."

"But Liiiiiiiiii-"

"Jim, I'm- wow, his parents really screwed us all over, didn't they?"

"I know, right?"

"POINT. Back to the point. How long?"

I pretended to think for a minute. "When did he go through puberty?" "Probably when he was born and saw his mum's fanny." At that, we got lost for a minute, practically tearing up in our laughter. However, the laughter died down when Liam caught sight of James Potter almost literally flying by our compartment. "Just a moment, I've got to ask him about Quidditch stuff and then see a man about a dog." I snorted at him then waved him away and consented to looking out the window and stroking Gov's neck. Whenever Liam used that stupid expression, it probably meant that after he relieved himself, I wouldn't see him again until the carriages.

I don't know how much longer it was later, but sometime after Liam left I heard a knock at the compartment door. I assumed it was Lily or one of my other dormmates passing by and making sure I wasn't sitting alone, so I just waved my hand dismissively, but with a slight invitation to it. It would be stupid of me to turn them away just because they'd never extended true friendship toward me.

Whichever it was sat down heavily across from me, but I paid them no mind as I continued to watch the greenery fly by. Then she spoke.

Only it wasn't a fucking she because I have the worst fucking luck in the history of the god damn universe.

"You shouldn't have said that to me."

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Again against my expectations, Sirius didn't continue with his determined scowl. His normal façade of controlled intensity when offended blew away after I howled my preferred expletive at him and was replaced by fear. Probably fake. Why would one of the King's of Hogwarts be afraid of a tiny bird who couldn't even tie her own trainers? (Don't laugh at me, it's not my fault my fingers shake too much.)

"YOU POMPOUS SOD! YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO TREAT ME LIKE SOME... SOME... SOME PEASANT BENEATH YOUR BLEEDING NOBLE FEET FOR SEVEN YEARS, THEN WHEN I FINALLY TELL YOU TO PISS OFF, COME INTO MY COMPARTMENT UNANNOUNCED AND TELL ME I WAS IN THE WRONG?!"

"Stop screaming, woman, you didn't let me finish!"

"I'M NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO WHATEVER BULLSHIT YOU'RE GOING TO COME UP WITH ON THE SPOT TO HIDE THE FACT THAT YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY FINISHED AND EXPECTED AN APOLOGY THAT YOU WON'T RECEIVE EVEN IF I ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING TO YOU THAT I'D BE SORRY FOR!"

"CALL! LISTEN TO ME!"

"NO!"

"DAMMIT, JIMENA, I'M NOT FUCKING AROUND!"

I didn't recall standing, nor did I recall approaching him. But when the silence fell, I found myself standing right before him, his hands clutching my arms as if they were a lifeline, while mine were clenched in fists at my sides. We were both breathing heavily, but our expressions differed. I was glaring at him as if it would win me something, but his face was drawn as if in physical pain, and his eyes were so stormy and intense that I faltered. Fucking Pureblood attractiveness.

"You shouldn't have said that to me, because I know you don't want to have this conversation. There is a reason why I don't properly date the birds at school. No offense, but you're all the same. You're all in school. You don't think about what's going on outside, and neither do the blokes, but I'm not interested in them as far as I'm aware."

"I thought you said you weren't fucking around."

"I'm not, but I thought this could use a joke or two."

"You're not funny."

"I know."

I furrowed my brow at him, gaping ever so slightly. Where the fuck did this polite ass chap come from?

"What I mean is, I know you don't think I'm funny. I know you don't think I'm charming, or nice, or anything associated with what someone wants in their significant other. I know you don't find me attractive, but for Merlin's sake, would you at least take a minute to think about the fact that I live in the same world you do? That I'm human too?"

"Well of course you're human, otherwise all the birds at school are even more disgusting."

"Call."

"WAIT A MINUTE, DID YOU JUST CALL ME JIMENA?!"


	3. (3) Continued Benefits

"Stop screaming, Call!"

"YOU CALLED ME JIMENA!"

"CALL! NOT THE TIME!"

"THE FUCK, BLACK?! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF I WENT AROUND CALLING YOU SIRIUS ORION?!"

"NOT THE POINT! I WAS TRYING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION! CALM DOWN!"

His hands moved from my arms to my shoulders, but he didn't shake me. Probably thought I was delicate, the sod.

"Can I please finish?" I averted my eyes from his, scoffing slightly. "I don't know if it matters to you, but I actually care about what you, and Lily, and Marlene and Mary think about me. You may just be my housemates now, but when we graduate, you'll be my comrades. It'll be our jobs to protect each other, but the four of you and every other female in the school doesn't think about that. You think about who's shagging who in what house during what month, and who's supposedly in love, and who's fit, but none of it will matter in less than a year. I don't want any of those girls thinking their in love with me when they enter a warzone."

Silence. Silence hurts. And so does apologizing.

"The fuck is wrong with you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You took to heart me telling you to stop trying to get into my knickers because it was irritating?"

Bitch. Jim, you fucking bitch, you already offended him once today, the fuck is wrong with you? Shit, he's staring at you, do something.

"I'm sorry you felt the need to pour your heart out to me like that after I told you to sod off, but I would still like you to sod off."

"No."

My eyes had been wandering back to his face, but at this they snapped at him. The FUCK?! NO?! BLACK!

"No. I'm not going to sod off because you think I flirt with you because I flirt with all the birds. You're not special, not in the way they all want to be, but you're not just one of them. Like it or not, you're one of my kind."

"Yes, I am a Gryffindor, we've been over this, the Sorting Hat-"

"Call, that's not what I'm talking about. You're a good person. I've had seven years to notice that, and I'm not as thick as you think. You may be shy-"

"I am NOT shy, you ignorant-"

"... and tiny-"

"You just asked to get hit, right? Those were the words that came out of your mouth?"

"You are really irritating, did you know that?"

"You're really attractive, did you know that?"

We jerked away from each other suddenly, as if my words had burned our skin.

Mission accomplished.

"What the fuck, Call?!"

Maybe not.

"That's the part where you're supposed to run back to Lupin and Pettigew and tend to their casualties."

"What the FUCK, Call?! You can't yell at me for flirting with you and the initiate-"

"Woah, woah, woah, I was not 'initiating'-"

"Like hell you weren't initiating-"

"I WASN'T!"

"WELL YOU DID!"

"STOP YELLING AT ME, I'M TINY!"

"AND INFURIATINGLY ADOURABLE!"

I hopped up on the seat, groping around for my wand in my book bag until I realized the last word of his retort had not been an insult.

Sirius Black had just called me adourable.

I'm not some doe-eyed first year. It's not so much that he called me adourable, it's that he didn't call birds adourable. He called birds fit and attractive, sexy on occasion, and beautiful or amazing when he was in trouble with one, but never adourable. He didn't go for adourable. He went for experienced, and primarily.

So if I was adourable, why had I been on the receiving end of his torment for almost four years now?

Again, no doe eyes. Sirius Black is not in love with me, and I'm not in love with him. But... he called me adourable, and had been trying to shag me for those four years.

And Jesus Christ was he fit.

He looked quite similar to Liam, with strong features, a nicely muscled body, and luxuriously shaggy, long hair. His was quite a bit longer, and if he didn't have such a masculine shape, I probably would have mistaken him for a girl from behind. Granted, if I didn't always wear dresses and flats, I'd probably get mistaken for a bloke from behind.

He had that same coloured hair as me, too dark to be brown and not distasteful enough to be called black. His eyes were gray, and it wasn't that it was such an uncommon colour (Hell, his brother Regulus had the same eyes), but his expressions made them intensely enticing.

And JESUS CHRIST WAS HE FIT.

I'd had enough. What had he said? "A first day for a lot of things?" Yeah. It was. Fucking seventh year.

I hadn't really thought about it. Seventh year, final year. This was it. This was the last time I would be going to Hogwarts for a new school year. This was the last year I had before they set me loose on the world.

The last year before they expected me to do something to resolve the war.

Being a Muggle-born, I was not inclined to become a Healer at St. Mungo's and risk being assigned to the Squib Ward. If I chopped off a finger for every time said ward had been targeted by Death Eaters, there would be no more fingers in the world. Being a tiny bird, I was not inclined to become an Auror and be the first one offed.

And being a Gryffindor, I was expected to do one of these things or snap my wand in half and hang myself from the Astronomy tower.

All in all, I had this one last year before life became hell on Earth.

So, in that split second, I decided I was going to make the most of it.

Meaning, of course, I was going to do the exact opposite of what everyone at Hogwarts expected of me after six years.

I hopped down before he attempted to offer me his hand, which he might have been too frozen to do. I quietly walked over to the compartment door, fiddling with the tie of my dress resting on my right hip.

"Call, wait-"

As soon as I reached the door, I locked it and drew the blinds, raising my wand (which I had found after I wasn't looking for it anymore, because the universe has decided I am its prime source of entertainment) and using the non-verbal skills I had learned last year to cast Muffliato on all four walls. Owls are known to stop when they hear noise inside a compartment.

Yes. I had just locked myself in a train compartment with Sirius Black.

Surprise seemed to have attached itself to me at the hip. Of course, why else would two people lock themselves alone in a sound-proofed compartment? I wasn't daft enough to think he wouldn't have some inkling of the motivation behind my actions, but I didn't think he would catch on as fast as he did.

As soon as I'd slid my wand back into my bag (via hopping up on the seats again), I felt hands grip my waist. I expected some sort of jerking, sudden movement that would leave me breathless and reminded of Liam or James Potter after a Quidditch victory and about three firewhiskeys.

Fucking surprise. I was spun around and pulled quickly but gracefully and securely to his eye level. He leaned my shoulders and head gently back against the wall of the compartment, placing his foot on the seat to support both of us. I involuntarily clung to the back of his shirt with my arms around his neck and my legs wrapped around his waist in the sudden (but not jerky) movement.

I was still breathless.

"What are you doing, Jim Call?"

The intensity in his narrowed eyes sobered me up from my almost swooning. I held up my finger to silence him, even though I knew he had already finished his question. "I am frustrated enough without you being the fittest bloke at this school and rubbing it in my face every time we cross paths. Pay attention, because I'm not going to remind you.

You are going to shag me until neither of us can remember our names." I was interrupted by his moving closer, though it was scarcely possible. "This is going to be a repeated occurrence. I decide when. I decide where. You are not in control of me. I am not in control of you aside from the few conditions I have. We are not going to share either of our beds with each other. That is too personal, and it lends to this being known more easily. I am not your girlfriend. I can date and shag anyone else I want to, and you can say whatever you want about whoever that is, but the decision is mine. As that is, you can date-" He opened his mouth but I moved my raised finger to his lips. "Or whatever Sirius Black does because 'Sirius Black doesn't date' - and shag anyone else you want. I will say whatever I want about whoever they are, but the decision is yours.

You are not going to meet my parents. I am not going to befriend James Potter. You are not to display affection for me outside of wherever we shag, and even then, we are not showing affection. We're fucking." He growled quietly, but I pressed my finger against his lips more firmly. "At no point during this year are you to do anything but your mindless flirting with me outside closed doors. No dates, no romantic gestures, no feelings. Just sex."

It was a calling word. As soon as I said it, he unfroze, the storm in his eyes causing me to cling to the back of his shirt again as his lips crashed into mine.

And suddenly I understood why half the school had already done this.

Sirius Black may not be funny, or charming, or nice, or anything associated with what someone wants in their significant other, but holy shit could he kiss.

And holy shit did he move fast. Clothes flew all over the compartment, landing on seats, racks, and the floor in haphazard piles. I'm not ashamed of what went down, but I didn't care enough for Sirius to be proud.

It wasn't the longest sex I'd ever had, nor was it the shortest, but it was the most mind-blowingly intimate that I almost took back the allowance of shagging other people if we wanted. But that would be what he expected.

He'd smirked at me once we were both dressed, but I simply opened the blinds and door and almost literally kicked him out of Compartment Thirteen B. Smug asshole.

He said some sort of parting remark, but I just shut the door in his annoyingly pretty face and turned away. Sometime during our less than friendly farewell exchange, Gov had returned, having be wandering the corridors, no doubt attention whoring himself with some fourth year Hufflepuffs.

It seemed every male in my life that wasn't unattainable had other options better than me. Liam had other friends and a choice of any girlfriend he wanted. Sirius wasn't my friend so to speak, but I believe that I made it very clear that there would be continued benefits. Unfortunately, I also made it clear that he remained with the choice of any significant other he wanted. And even fucking Gov had other people to seek comfort and affection from.

I wasn't going to start spewing shit about old Jim caring about this and new Jim not giving two fucks, because no matter what you put before Jim, I'm still going to care that no matter what I do, I'll always be "that girl that only ever talked to Oliviers".


End file.
